Lowering the fat content of holiday meals

The estimates for the number of grams of fat the average American consumes on Thanksgiving in yesterday’s blog, 229 grams of fat if you missed it, still have me wondering for ways to make turkey-day a bit healthier.

Diabetes educator Leslie Crawford, RDLD at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford, has compiled a list of tips for cutting back the fat content of recipes. Her tips cover everything from baking to dinners and can be used year round. Best of all most call for simple ingredients so the fixes won’t break the holiday budget.

Leslie suggests:

Heavy cream swaps:
As a substitute for heavy cream in a sauce, you could use low-fat ricotta cheese or low-fat cottage cheese, whipped in a blender, then stirred into low-fat plain yogurt.

Sour cream options:
For sour cream choose a low-fat or fat-free sour cream available for cooking or baking.    

1. Choose brands made from skim milk (you'll need to read the label).  Do not use imitation or nondairy sour cream, as they are frequently made from tropical oils or are made with hydrogenated fat.
2. Use a low-fat or nonfat yogurt or homemade Yogurt Cheese.

Cream Cheese switches:

1. Use the low fat variety in cooking and baking.   
2. Do not use the fat free variety in cooking or baking.
3. Use non-fat or low-fat cottage cheese that has been drained and pressed dry in a     strainer, then whipped smooth in a food processor or blender.       
4. Use Yogurt Cheese in place of cream cheese in recipes.

Fixes in Quick Breads and Muffins and Cakes:

1. Replace whole milk or cream with buttermilk, plain yogurt, skim milk, soy milk or fat free or low fat sour cream.   
2. Substitute ½  or all of the fat with an equal amount of pureed fruit such as pureed peaches, bananas, applesauce.  Pureed prunes work well in chocolate based recipes.

Pie ideas:       

1. Use a bottom crust only to reduce the fat in a pie
2. Try using a graham cracker or vanilla or chocolate wafer crust instead

Using cheese:                                           
 Try reduced fat mozzarella, cheddar, Swiss, goat cheese, and feta cheese. Low-fat cheese melts in the same way as mild regular cheese, but will toughen with high or direct heat. Use low heat, and if adding to a sauce, stir in only one direction, adding a smidgen of flour or cornstarch to the shredded cheese before adding it to the sauce. Fat-free cheese will not melt smoothly so it is best if it is served cold. You can also mix low-fat and fat-free cheeses when cooking to reduce calories while retaining some of the melting capability and taste.

Vegetable tips

1. Use the microwave for fat free cooking of vegetables and fruits.
2. Try sautéing vegetables in fat free broth instead of butter or oil.

Baking tips:

1. Decrease the oven temperature so your low fat baking does not get dry.  Some suggested temperatures are:   
1. Muffins at 350 F           
2. Quick breads and cakes at 325 to 350F                
3. Cookies at 275 to 300F                        
4. Brownies, biscuits, scones at 375 F
2. Do not overmix.

Miscellaneous tips:

1. Use one to two tablespoons fat per cup of flour in quick breads
2. Pureed fruits such as applesauce or prune paste can replace fat. Substitute equal amounts up to ½ cup total.
3. Substitute low fat or skim milk in all recipes.
4. Try using ½ the amount of nuts called for in a recipe and toasting them for better flavor.   
5. To replace some of the meat in recipes, add more legumes or vegetables.
6. Use skim, 1% or low-fat evaporated milk in soups and cream sauces  in place of cream.

Did you find these tips or the fitness ideas yesterday helpful? Please let us know what worked for you so we can all have a healthy December as well.

We wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving from Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford!

Jennifer Erickson
Sr. PR Specialist
Texas Health HEB